


Somewhere between Sunshine and Moonlight

by Kennywolf7



Series: Shades of the Forest [1]
Category: Carmilla (Web Series)
Genre: Angst, Excessive Drinking, F/F, Mostly just Danny though, Pre-OT3, Vomiting, twisted fluff?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-23
Updated: 2014-10-23
Packaged: 2018-02-22 06:54:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,993
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2498705
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kennywolf7/pseuds/Kennywolf7
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Danny stumbles across a scene she never wanted to see.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Somewhere between Sunshine and Moonlight

When Danny had started falling for that cute, short freshman in the Lit class she was a TA for, the only real worry she had was that Laura might be straight. That concern was quickly thrown away after they spent some time together after the town hall meeting. She wasn't blind, she saw the way Laura was looking at her and seemed to be giddy. Still, Danny didn't like to make assumptions so she didn't say anything or even really flirt back. Okay, maybe there was a little bit of flirting, but really how could she not when the brunette was being so adorable? Either way, her worries that Laura might not even be interested were gone that day. With that came a whole slew of new worries, like how she seemed hell bent on standing up to the school and the dean to try and find her lost roommate. Even from the beginning, Danny had thought it was dangerous, which was why she had decided to help the tiny frosh.

Of course the more she hung around Laura (and her new roommate, Carmilla) the more Danny could tell they were in over their heads. The redhead was all for taking power into their own hands and everything, but this was starting to give her some weird conspiracy vibes. When you went to a university like Silas you learned pretty quick to just listen to whatever vibes you got, even if they didn't really make sense. It took some girls a while to get used to it but Danny's parents were alums of the school so it was something she had practically grown up on. Laura obviously was not catching on very quickly to just how weird things were here. Of course when Carmilla turned out to be a vampire she seemed ... oddly calm, considering she had slept in the same room as the beast since almost the beginning of the school year, and was okay with remaining alone in her room with her. Sure the vampire was tied up but that didn't make her less dangerous if you got to close. 

Okay, maybe there was some jealousy there, because ever since some sort of tragic back story had been told (which was probably bullshit to begin with), Laura had been looking at Carmilla more than her. At first Danny thought it was just pity and maybe a little blossoming friendship, but when she had walked in on them dancing she started to worry if there was something more. They had both been smiling at each other and had way too many body parts touching for Danny's comfort. In that moment when Laura looked like she had been caught doing something wrong and Carmilla was glaring at her, Danny knew she had to say something to Laura: tell her how she felt and how dating a vampire [i]never[/i] ended well. 

A day passed... then two... then three... and soon it had been a whole week and Danny still hadn't said anything concrete to Laura. She wanted to; God, she wanted too, but it felt like the wrong time every time. She was her TA and it was bad enough that she already wanted to give every assignment that Miss Hollis turned in a perfect score. If they were dating, it would look bad. Which wasn't fair to Laura, ‘cause she had earned every mark she got and Danny couldn't stand the thought of people saying Laura was sleeping her way into a good grade. Besides, there wasn't that much time before the semester ended. The second the last class ended she would go to Laura and ask her out. Although, now there was a bit of fear in her heart that the girl wouldn't even say yes anymore. Which was, you know, not fair, considering she was up against a vampire who wouldn't ever get old and was like a living history book. And didn't Laura re-read Dracula every summer? Fuck.

So walking in on the two of them kissing really shouldn't have been as big of a surprise as it was. Neither should how much it hurt. But she was surprised and it hurt like hell and she only stared long enough to confirm that it was actually them and there wasn't any strange forcing going on (Laura's hands were in Carmilla's hair) and then she turned around and ran, slamming the door behind her. She didn't see if they came after her, and honestly she hoped they wouldn't because if they did she would probably say more than a few things that she would regret. She went right to the Summer Society house and up to her room, slamming the door again. She fell to the bed and just... gripped her fists tight and squeezed her eyes tighter. Part of her wanted to cry but another part wanted to punch something and with a pillow so close at hand she snatched it and started beating the shit out of the poor bag of fluff. She pictured Carmilla's face on it and beat it until there were feathers flying everywhere. She was breathing hard by then and just fell back onto her bed with a groan. There were tears in her eyes but they hadn't spilled yet, and she put her forearm over her eyes to try and keep it that way. 

Apparently she had caused a commotion because not long after that there was a knock on her door and one of her sisters, Nancy it sounded like, was asking if she was okay. Danny called out that she was fine, which she knew wouldn't convince anyone but the girls knew if she felt like talking she would talk. Nance still said that she was free all day if Danny needed anything, and left the door closed. She heard muffled talking for a few moments but that to went away and Danny was left to her thoughts. Which mostly consisted of how much of an idiot she was for not saying anything to Laura sooner. Even if the vampire hadn't been in the picture, someone would have gotten to Laura first, she was just too adorable to resist. Of course, the fact that it was Carmilla of all people just made her livid. Danny wasn't usually the type to contemplate murder over a girl but she was pretty sure Carmilla deserved it since she was partly responsible for those other girls disappearing. Putting a stake in her heart would really just be doing the world a favor. Now though, if she did do that it would probably ruin any chances she had with Laura. 

She wasn't sure how many hours passed while she sulked in her room, but it was starting to get dark when another knock on her door drew her attention from staring up at the ceiling. This time Nancy just came in, well peeked her head in, and Danny leaned up so she could look at her sister and friend better. 

"So some of us are going into town tonight, want to come?" the blond asked hopefully. Now Danny wasn't really a recluse, but she tended to only go to the unofficial parties about half the time these days. Between TA work and making sure Laura wasn't getting herself injured, it put a bit of a dent into her social life. Well, she didn't really have to worry about that anymore; if she had picked Carmilla then Carmilla could save her ass the next time she needed to be saved by some books.

"Yeah, sure. Gimme a minute."

_____________

At least the bar was clean. Other than that, Danny wasn't have much fun out with the Summer Society. She had hoped going out would take her mind of Laura and Carmilla, but every time she saw a couple kissing her mind would flash to the image of them having that heated kiss. After about the 4th time it happened, Danny started drinking. That was something she hadn't done since becoming an officer in the Summer Society. She was supposed to watch out for the other girls, something she couldn't do while drunk. She wasn't the only officer here today and fuck she could use the drink, so down they went. Before she knew it people were starting to pair up and the ones who weren't were heading home, or at least to somewhere not here. She vaguely remembered someone asking her if she was ready to go home and saying no and no and no as they persisted that she needed to go home. Then it was the bartender saying the bar was closing and she was shoved out of the place, and she still wasn't sure what kept her upright.

Then she was walking. She thought it was back towards the Summer Society house, but when she came across the forest she knew she had made a wrong turn or 5. The tiny bit of rational that was left in her told her to turn around and at least get back to civilization, but another part of her couldn't help but notice how good the weather was for a hunt. The weather was cold and the wind brisk, but the sky was clear and the last days of autumn would be over soon this could be the last chance she got to hunt. Sure she didn't have the rest of the Summer Society with her, or anyone for that matter, but she could do it. She was one of the best hunters at Silas, so really it shouldn't be a problem. So taking a page out of Laura's book she went in without a second thought.

The forest was different at night, and it was even more different when it wouldn't stop moving. Usually when she was here at night there was some sort of campfire or torch to help her see, something hot and red. Tonight though it was all blues, only the moon and the stars to light her way... which, if she wasn't drunk off her ass, she might have appreciated. Now it only made her trip and curse and start to regret her decision to do this. She might have felt better if she could find something to freaking hunt but everything seemed to be hiding from her. That seemed to sort of be a trend in her life... as soon as she started to actually have feelings for someone they would find some rock to crawl under where Danny couldn't get them. Maybe she was just supposed to be alone forever. 

"There you are."

The break in the silence caused Danny to whip her head towards the sound (which almost made her fall over from the motion). For a moment things were so blurry that she couldn't even make out who it was, and when she did she wondered if someone slipped something into one of her drinks because why else would Carmilla, daughter of the night and horrible music, be out here apparently looking for her. The vampire took a step forward and Danny took two back, not wanting a repeat of the last time they faced off... which would probably be even more embarrassing in her current state.

"Get away from me!" Danny practically growled and took another step back, but her foot caught on a log (definitely not her other foot) and she felt herself starting to fall backwards. She hit the ground… except it wasn't the ground: her back was against a tree, and Carmilla was grabbing on to her jacket around her shoulder and pinning her to the tree. Admittedly better then her neck, but Danny tried to struggle free to no avail. She still didn't understand how someone almost as small as Laura could be so freaking strong. Carmilla seemed to take a sniff, then make a face.

"Do the bars have any more vodka? Or did you clear them out?" Carmilla asked with a hint of disgust. Like what she drank was in better taste. 

"Let. GO!" Danny yelled and kicked at Carmilla, but her aim was off and she only grazed the undead hip.

"No can do, Ginger Giant. Buttercup wouldn't ever forgive me if I just left you out here to drown in your own sick. As hilarious as it would be." The dark girl drawled, and honestly Danny saw her reasoning. Carmilla hadn't killed her before because Laura asked. Just as the fear for her life was turning into a fight for her pride, she felt a blow to her stomach. She coughed, hands coming to her abdomen. Soon she wasn't coughing though, and Carmilla barely sidestepped in time to avoid the vomit, god damn it. The grip in her jacket was gone and she fell to her knees which made purging her stomach feel a little more ... normal. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Carmilla crouch next to her and felt a cold hand on her neck gripping the hair so it would stay. While the act of puking wasn't enjoyable, once it was over she felt a little better and the acidic smell helped slap her out of the drunken stupor she had been in. She spit what was hopefully the last of the bile out and glanced over at Carmilla, expecting a smug look directed at her. The vampire wasn't even looking at her though, instead she had her chin in her free hand that was propped on her bent knee, and her gaze was directed out into the forest. Danny could see her stark profile though and the expression on her face was that of someone who normally couldn't be bothered to do some chore but was being forced to. Danny couldn't decide if that was worse or not. Carmilla must have felt Danny's eyes on her because she turned to look, that same bored expression on her face.

"Finished?" the vampire asked, somehow making it seem insulting. Danny wished she wasn't, just so she could throw up on the old hag in a young body. Carmilla must have seen the look in her eyes, or otherwise vampires could read minds, because the hand that was holding her hair was shoving her and her back hit the dirt. Instinctively she tried to get up, to fight back, to defend herself but her arms were shaking so bad that she fell right back down and since Carmilla wasn't attacking her she decided to just.. stop trying. What was the point? Carmilla had already won. She had Laura, and trying to fight the vampire would probably just leave her with broken bones and also a pissed off aspiring little journalist. Danny hated giving up, but she knew how to pick her battles, for the most part... it was just that Camilla seemed to bring out an unreasonable anger in her. She felt it even now, but biding her time and getting back at the husk later seemed easier and she was just so... tired of everything. She closed her eyes and thought about sleeping, not just for a few hours but for a few months, so that she could wake up and just be over Laura and Carmilla and get back to a normal life. Maybe a few years would do the job a little bit better. Although she wish she had a blanket if she was going to be sleeping for that long; it was cold tonight, and her body was shivering.

"Get up." Danny opened her eyes to see Carmilla standing over her. It was disorientating to be honest; Carmilla had never been able to lean over her before, and her boots were scarily close to her face.

"Leave me alone," Danny said in a hollow voice. She didn't ever really want help from other people, and least of all Carmilla. 

"Did the elevation change affect your hearing?" Carmilla hissed at her. Danny expected a blow, but nothing came. In fact, Carmilla didn't move at all; she just stood there, oddly still. Her chest didn't rise or fall, her fingers didn't twitch. The only movement was the wind in her hair. She almost looked like a cat ready to pounce, or maybe she just didn't need to move, didn't need to act human in front of Danny anymore. They stayed there for a moment just staring at each other, although Danny's was starting to become a glare after a while. For a century old vampire, Carmilla tended to get impatient easily, and she let out an annoyed sigh.

"Fine. I didn't want to have to do this, for your sake, but you have left me no choice..." she muttered and there was a blur and Danny suddenly wasn't on the ground anymore. No part of her of her was touching the ground. In fact, now she had a really great view of Carmilla's butt as the vampire started walking. It took a moment because the sudden movement had brought back all the dizziness of before, but when she was a little more oriented she realized that Carmilla was carrying Danny over her shoulder like a freaking sack of potatoes. She might have been impressed with Carmilla's strength if she wasn't so utterly mortified. Danny hadn't been picked up like this (or at all really) since she was a little girl, and to have Carmilla do it so easily and without asking really destroyed what was left of her pride this evening.

"What the fuck! Put me down!" Danny practically screeched, and started to struggle again, not caring if it would get her face planted in the dirt. It did seem to be working, if only making it harder for Carmilla to keep a grasp. She was pretty sure she got at least one good hit on the shorter woman's head with all her limbs flailing about.

"If you had just--unf--listened to me the first time--"

"Alright fine! I'll walk, just put me down!" Danny conceded quickly, because every second Carmilla carried her the more she wanted to vomit, and only partly from her physical discomfort. She heard a grunt and suddenly she was on her feet again, face to face with Carmilla. Her fists clenched, and it was so very hear to not throw a punch at the vampire. 

"Don't EVER do that again! Or I WILL stake you so hard they will need an excavation crew to get it out."

"Don't worry, I'm just leaving you to die next time."

"I wasn't going to die, you asshole!"

"How long have you been going to Silas again?"

"I swear to god, I would kill you if it wouldn't piss off Laura..."

"Same here, Xena."

That stopped them, though. Danny couldn't vouch for the vampire but thinking about Laura... and what she would say if she could see them like this calmed her a little. Danny and Carmilla avoided each other for the most part, but when they did fight Laura was always there to stop them. Apparently she didn't even need to physically be there to stop them anymore. Or maybe they both knew how fine a line they were both walking with the freshman. On the one hand, over-protective Dad-like TA; on the other, deadly creepy undead bitch. Danny thought that being, you know, not a vampire would have made her the better choice, but maybe she was biased. Either way, they both probably tried a bit too hard to try and win her favor. even just the thought of a pissed off Laura had them looking at the ground, ashamed. 

Another few moments of nothing but wind, and then Carmilla was walking. Danny thought about walking in the opposite direction, but she could already see a familiar path the way Carmilla was going, and followed without a word. 

They walked like that all the way back to campus. Danny's strides were naturally longer, and she ended up catching up to Carmilla for the most part, but then she would stumble in her still-mostly-drunkenness and would fall back behind a little. One time, Carmilla actually grabbed onto her when she was going to actually fall, but let go as soon as she was stable and Danny didn't even bother to thank her. They reached the dorms first and when Danny made to keep walking that cold grip was on her wrist again.

"She'll want to see you," Carmilla explained, although the tightness of her hand led Danny to believe there wasn't much argument to be made. Besides... she would like to see Laura. She might be upset about.... well a lot of things, but she still wanted to at least be friends. The thought of Laura not being in her life at all made the night seem even darker. So she nodded and let Carmilla tug her towards the dorm before the contact was broken. They walked in quiet again up the familiar path to Laura and Carmilla's room. When the door opened, it was dark and Carmilla flipped on a light when she walked in, and Danny realized that Laura wasn't even here.

"Where's-"

"Out looking for you, numb nuts. I'll text her. Lay down," Carmilla practically commanded as she reached over and pulled Danny's phone out of her pocket. The redhead started to protest but Carmilla shoved her onto her bed, then started texting. Danny groaned and just let herself fall over so her upper half was laying down and her feet were hanging over the edge of the bed. Carmilla's side of the room was so much darker than Laura's, which made tons of sense but also made it much easier to just... close her eyes for a minute and drift off while she waited for Laura to come back. She was out after only a few seconds. 

There was a commotion and she tried to wake up but a warm blanket being pulled over her lulled her back to sleep as did the touch of a soft, warm hand brushing back her hair. 

When she woke up, it was starting to get light. She groaned slightly as she was hit with a headache like she hadn't had since Kirsch had headbutted her during the Adonis fest. She forced her eyes opened anyway and realized she was still in Laura's dorm room, on Carmilla's bed, and right across from her lay Carmilla and Laura... cuddling of all things. Even though she was in a room with two other people, she had never felt more alone in her life. They were less than two yards from her and she could see a small smile on Laura’s face, and Carmilla looking content, and then there was Danny. The drunkard recovering from a hangover in the next bed over.

This time the anger was gone, and all that was there was the disappointment of loss. Before she could stop it, a sob bubbled up and it came out. She quickly covered her mouth and waited to see if the other two would wake up... they didn't, or at least they didn't move. So Danny turned to face the wall and grabbed the first pillow she could find and stuffed it in her face to keep any more sounds from coming out. And of course it was Laura's yellow pillow, the one that Carmilla stole endlessly and of course it smelled like both of them, sunshine and moonlight, and it left Danny falling into the limbo of the space in between as she curled up in on herself. Quietly though, her body shaking was the only indication something was wrong. Laura could never see her like this. She needed to be strong and supportive, someone who could be leaned on. Heaven forbid Carmilla noticed; she would never live it down, or worse the vampire would look at her with pity. So quietly, very quietly, she let tears flow down her cheeks and the sobs that escaped were caught by the pillow.

**Author's Note:**

> So I started writing this before EP 24 and finished it after so hopefully it's not too... confusing on that front, I was trying to be vague about the past anyways.


End file.
